During surgical procedures, there may be a requirement for the retraction of organs, so the field of view or work area will be clear. For example, a segment or lobe of the liver may need to be held back in order to perform surgery on a segment of the stomach. This process can be demanding and typically can require an extra person to hold a conventional retractor. This procedure is even more challenging during minimally invasive surgery (MIS) where port and surgical technician may be devoted primarily to holding tissue back from the field of view or work area.
US patent application US2009/0198107 (referred hereinafter as '107) discloses a device for use during surgical or non-surgical procedures, which can move items from the field of view or work space. Retraction of items during any surgical or non-surgical procedure moves the items from the field of view or work space. The flexibility and compactness of a retraction device can make it suitable for surgery, especially minimally invasive surgery (MIS).
The main distinction between the retraction device disclosed in '107 and the retraction device of the present application is the fact that the '107 device is made of non-rigid structure which deform under application of forces. For example, the device of patent application '107 will bent (under force), and thereby increase the tension forces which are applied on the abdominal wall. Such tension forces may harm the tissues involved and cause irreversible damage. Furthermore, such bending decreases the amount of organ retraction provided.
Thus, there is a long felt need to provide a retraction device which minimized the tension forces applied on the abdominal wall.